JJ and the Bets
by GeneWilderClone
Summary: It's summer vacation! Awesome! But after an off day that quickly goes south, Jughead finds himself tangled in a web of hate... Betty's hate! This time he's really messed up, and his latest blunder threatens to ruin his tight friendship with the Cooper gal. After all is said and done, will the dynamic duo ever be what they once were? Is this the end... or a brand new beginning?


_**Author's Note**__:_ _Hello there, FF net people! To start, I've been on a huge Betty x Jughead kick lately, in addition to being on hiatus from_ _any writing whatsoever (I upload my main works to dA, and sorry, that account shall stay anon). After reading a couple really great "Bughead" stories in particular, and seeing how there aren't a huge number of the sort out there, I thought I'd begin chipping away at my writer's block syndrome by starting one myself. First upload of my life to fanfiction for the win, eh?  
_

_I haven't read the Archie comics in years, but nevertheless I'm up to the challenge of adding my own story to the fray. I mean, I still own about 150-ish copies, so that's got to count for something, right? The characters are still vivid and clear in my mind, at least.  
_

_If you've found this fic and enjoy it, then cheers! If not... well, cheers anyway! Thanks for stoppin' by. AND YES, JUGHEAD'S GETTIN' BUILT. DEAL WITH IT *puts on shades* (alright, sorry, I won't do that again).  
_

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Twenty Dollars, Worth It?**_

* * *

No books, no bells, no Ms. Grundy... no worries! With just a delectable Italian ice, his hammock, and the shade of the trees, Jughead Jones ascended into the zen stratosphere as he twirled his crown beanie round and round on his index finger.

"Ah... ain't this the life, buddy?"

Hot Dog, the shaggy mammoth mutt who had inherited his master's laziness, sighed contentedly in agreement and stretched. Grinning, Jughead placed his hat over his eyes as he set down his empty cup, feeling very sleepy all of a sudden. Images of barbeques and pools popped into his head, sure to be fuel for a really great dream. There was nothing, absolutely nothing in the entire world, that could disrupt such a perfect, perfect-

"Oh, Jugheeeeeead!"

Startled, Jughead shifted his weight over to one side way too quickly, and suddenly found the ground speeding towards his face to say hello.

_Wam!_

Pointy nose now imbedded in a patch of dirt, Jughead groaned as Hot Dog seized the opportunity and replaced him on the hammock.

"Jughead? Where are you, dear?"

He knew it had been too good to be true. Would he ever get to truly relax this summer? "Yeah, mom?!" he hollered, sitting up and glaring at his dog. "I'm out here in the backyard!"

"Oh, and look, Hot Dog is with you, too!" commented Mrs. Jones as she made her way out through the back door. "That's great, now you won't have to go chasing him all over the place."

"Yeah, real great, mom." _Wait a second_. "Er, and why would I be chasing him?" asked Jughead, dusting off his shorts as he stood. And that's when he saw it. "Oh, mom, please don't! He'll go nuts! _I'll _go nuts!"

Mrs. Jones just rolled her eyes, setting the wooden bathtub firmly down onto the ground. "Now now, son, you know that flea-bitten sheepdog of yours has been in terrible need of a bath for heavens knows how long! And since he _is_ your responsibility..."

"Nope, sorry mom! No can do! I was actually just about to, um... go see Archie?" Whoops, he hadn't meant for that to come out as a question.

"Forsythe," his mother began, putting her hands on her hips as Jughead grimaced. "It's about time you've stepped up and did something useful this summer! You can't expect to continue lazing around like a sloth... yes, son, a sloth! Don't give me that face! I'm sorry, but it had to be said! Just because your father's at work during the day doesn't mean you can do whatever you feel like. Now, since I'm not totally heartless, I'll give you two options."

Jughead rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on from his mother's yelling. Why did she always have to crash his party like this?

"Alright, mom, spill it. What cruelty have you cooked up to destroy my day?"

Mrs. Jones just chuckled. "Well, for starters, dear, you can spend the day giving Hot Dog here a well-needed scrubbing. I even bought a new shampoo, it's supposed to have added strength."

Hot Dog began to whine at the continued mention of his name in conjunction with the dreaded bathtub's presence. Jughead didn't blame him, he hated the dog-bathing ordeal just as much as his pet, if not more.

"Secondly," his mother continued. "You can go take a nice, long stroll down to the Riverdale Laundromat and do that load you've been promising for the past two weeks! It won't wash itself, and it'd be best to get it done sooner rather than later. Trust me, the exercise will do you good."

"Oh, but mom!" interjected Jughead, snapping his fingers and grinning. "I was working out this morning again, remember? See, I'm not lazy at all! I just need some time to chill out now and take a power nap."

"I... don't... care!" exclaimed his mother, the level of agitation in her voice rising. "Even if you were the most muscular man in the world, I'd still be making you do this! So there you have it. Take your pick, which chore will it be?"

Sighing, Jughead glanced at Hot Dog, who looked ready to bolt from the hammock at any second. He certainly didn't want to be stuck chasing the giant lunkhead in circles for an hour, so there was only one sane decision left.

* * *

Stepping out from the cool cover of the trees and into the sun-broiled streets of downtown Riverdale was like culture shock to Jughead. He panted as drops of air conditioner condensation plopped onto his head, and horns blared as he witnessed some really terrible road rage at a busy intersection. Only now was he regretting taking a single bottle of water along for the trip. At the rate he was sweating, saying that all the H2O had left his system wouldn't have been an exaggeration.

_BEEEEEEEEP!_

Forgetting to watch the side road as he crossed, Jughead almost became roadkill as a car sped by, just a hair's length away from where he had been about to step.

"Hey, dummy, watch it next time!" the driver yelled, who looked just about as shaken as Jughead. "You could've ended up in the hospital just now!"

"R-right!" the teen stammered, retreating back to the sidewalk. "Sorry!"

_Keep your wits about you, Jug_, he commanded himself, swearing he saw popsicles floating in the sky. _Don't let the heat get you beat!_

Smiling at his own rhyme, Jughead happened to see a familiar face getting out of their car and stand in front of his destination. Eagerly crossing the street when it was safe, Jughead ignored the heatwaves that attacked him and began to sprint. "Arch! Hey, Arch! What's shakin'?"

"Yo, Jug! Fancy meeting you here!"

"You could say that again," replied Jughead, wiping a film of sweat off his forehead. "I was blackmailed by my mom a while ago. It was either get this smelly load clothes spic and span or be sent to the ye olde torture chamber. Also known as giving Hot Dog a bath."

"Aw, poor you!" laughed Archie, turning away from Jughead and peering inside the laundromat. "But you've got to admit, isn't getting out of the house for once pretty nice? I mean, I've hardly seen you at all since vacation began."

"Hey, now you're starting to sound like my mother, Arch! But sorry for avoiding you, pal. What say you we hang again before school starts? Maybe at Pop Tate's with the rest of the gang?"

But Archie seemed to have zoned out, and was staring through the laundromat's glass windows with a hesitant expression. Following his gaze, Jughead saw where the carrot top's attention had shifted to.

"Ah, very sneaky, Double Oh Andrews," Jughead joked. "I suppose you've got a fake load of laundry in your car just so you can ask her out?"

The one Jughead referred to was none other than Betty Cooper, the spunky blonde gal-next-door who was madly in love with Archie. Currently, she was tossing her own things into an empty wash, looking as cheery as ever.

"Hmm?" Archie's response had been super slow, and Jughead just rolled his eyes at his friend's clueless expression.

"Well, Arch, I'm heading in. If you want, I can wait for you so that we can both approach her. That way, it won't seem as-"

"No, no. Jug... I, I can't go in. I've already got this set-up with Veronica, see..."

Jughead blew a disapproving raspberry and facepalmed. Not again. He should've known that Archie wouldn't go out of his way to see Betty, stalk her even, just to snag a date. "No, Arch, I really _don't_ see," Jughead told his friend, huffing in anger. "But please, do go on. What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Archie looked relieved, and put a hand on Jughead's shoulder. "I've no clue what I'm going to do, Jug. See, I arranged a date earlier this week with Betty for tonight, but this morning Ronnie called me and told me about this huge event she's having over at the mansion. And she said I was going to be her guest of honor! Imagine that, Jug! Little old me, a guest of honor at one of those fancy banquets! I told her about my date with Betty, but you know Veronica. She threatened never to see me again if I didn't cancel!"

Jughead was "imagining it", but not the redhead's expensive dinner date. Instead, he only thought of the heartache it would bring for one of the most deserving girls he knew.

"Hey, I know!" cried Archie, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Since you're going in there, how about you tell her that the deal's off tonight?"

The _deal_, eh? What nerve! "Hah!" came Jughead's defiance. "Get real, Arch. You know I only do these kinds of things for money! You're on your own, so catch you lat-"

"Jug, wait a second! You want money? Here! Have some money! It's all I've got!" Dipping into his pocket, Archie pulled out a leather wallet and removed a crisp ten dollar bill, waving it in front of Jughead's face.

"Aw, come on Arch! You can't be serious! I sure wasn't! It's against my code of manliness! I shouldn't be the one to tell her, especially for cash!"

"Then how about this?" Reaching into his back pocket, Archie pulled out another ten dollars! "This is my special reserve, used only for emergencies. Please, Jug, this is twenty dollars we're talking about here! Shouldn't this cover the cost of that new video game controller you'd been asking your parents for?"

Sighing heavily, Jughead set down his laundry bag and wiped some more sweat from his brow. "Arch, no. I can't do it. That wouldn't be fair at all to-"

"I'll even buy you burgers for an entire week!" Archie knew had hit a weak spot, and watched triumphantly as the resolve in Jughead's face crumbled.

"Alright, fine... you win..." Jughead felt his heart droop, and immediately regretted going along with such a heartless deal. Sweat that he didn't even know he still had began to drench the bills as he stuffed them into his pocket.

"You're a lifesaver, Jugh!" said Archie, patting Jughead Thank you so much!"

And with that, Archie Andrews sped off in his jalopy, no doubt to prepare for the big night back at home.

_Well, here goes nothing. _Swallowing hard, Jughead hoped with all his might for a best-case scenario as he walked into the laundromat.

* * *

"... and that's why the built-in money exchangers stopped workin'. Now, how much ya need?"

Thankful that the heavyset employee's rant was over, Jughead named his price and handed the talkative woman a fiver. "How much for a small load?" he asked. "Haven't been here in a long time."

"Weeell, way back when, it used to only be a buck fifty, but now upper management's got us charging twice the price. You know how the economy is these days, inflation is the worst at times when-"

"Uh, lady?!" interrupted Jughead, getting exasperated. "I need the money for the wash like, right now. My mom gave me a time limit while I run errands for her."

This was a fabrication, of course, but an effective one. The woman nodded, understanding, and inserted Jughead's money into the cash machine. Typing in the amount, she resumed running her mouth off. "I remember when my mother would ask me to do odd jobs around the town. Sometimes I'd get real fed up and use the money for things like ice cream sodas, a new haircut..."

Taking the money in his hand, Jughead scurried away with his laundry bag as the motormouth kept at it. Boy, could she talk up a storm! He was glad he didn't come here often. Slipping the quarters into his other empty pocket, he focused on the more pressing matter at hand. Having kept an eye on her position ever since entering, Jughead had no problem locating Betty. There she was, sitting across from her wash with her back to him, reading one of the latest gossip magazines and taking an occasional sip from her water bottle. Her ice cold water bottle.

Suddenly, Jughead donned a very impish smile as he quieted his approaching steps. Now directly behind her, he waited for Betty to take another sip, to set it down again on the floor... aaaand, yoink!

"Attack of the iceberg!" he cried, causing a few people to stop and stare at his antics.

"YIKES!" shrieked Betty, magazine flying out of her hands as she jumped out of her seat. "Alright, who in the world do you think you... oh! Jughead!"

"The one and only!" came the toothy reply as Jughead held up the chilly water bottle in his hand. He had placed the bottle directly on Betty's neck, yielding the desired response out of the ponytailed girl. "What's going on, Bets?"

"Oh, you know. Taking trips downtown, getting scared by friends I haven't seen since summer began. Y'know, the usual!"

Jughead laughed, remembering just how much he missed her quick wit. In fact, he found that he suddenly missed her a whole lot. Unlike him, Betty had obviously been out and active ever since vacation began, nabbing herself a healthy, almost light golden tan that really brought out her hair and eyes. Come to think of it, had her eyes always been so lovely?

"Hello? Earth to Jughead?"

Oops. He hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry, what was that?"

"How's your summer been coming along?" Betty repeated, snatching back her bottle (which was mysteriously half-empty now). "School will be starting soon, y'know."

"Uhhh..." The summer for Jughead had been an almost constant cycle of eating, gaming, and avoiding chores like the plague. Which, of course, was just how he liked it. "My summer's been good, I guess. Y'know the usual," he added at the end with a lopsided grin.

"Oh? And I suppose this is the usual, too?" Surprising him, Betty reached out and squeezed his arms, which showed definite signs of increased bulk. Her fingers even slid up slowly to where Jughead's sleeves were, tugging at the taut fabric that his muscle now filled out nicely.

"T-this?" stammered Jughead, taking a step back as he swatted the curious hands away. "It's nothing. Just thought I'd try a bit of a change. Instead of being the stick figure neighborhood nut, I thought I'd try and become the muscular neighborhood nut! It'll give Reggie one less thing to make fun of me about when I school him in basketball."

"Wow, Musclehead Jones," giggled Betty. "I'm not sure I could get used to that!"

Jughead just shrugged, somewhat pleased with himself that someone had actually noticed his newfound muscle. "Well, people change all the time," he replied, heading over to the empty washer next to Betty's. "I can't stay the same forever!"

"True, but I'd bet you everything in my purse that you're not here on your own accord."

"Urk!" Jughead cursed under his breath, trying to think of a snappy comeback. "And what makes you say that, Betty?"

"Well, besides your natural aversion to any and all labor, that sticky note on the front of your shirt was a dead giveaway."

Jughead's eyes snapped down to where Betty's finger pointed. Smack dab on the front of his black t-shirt was a square of floral stationary, signed by "Mom" at the bottom in big, fancy letters. Ripping the sticky note off immediately, Jughead scanned the contents and groaned. "Aww man, I can't believe she stuck this onto me! I've been walking around Riverdale with this girly crap on me all day!"

Betty tried her best to stifle her mirth, but her efforts had the opposite effect and she ended up bursting out in laughter.

"Ugh. Please, Betty," said Jughead as he began tossing clothes into the washing machine. "It's not _that _funny!"

"Ha, but you should've seen your face, Juggie! Priceless!" Snorting again at Jughead's scowl, Betty was lost in a fit of laughter all over again.

_Ding!_

"Oh, excuse me, Jug. My load's already done! Ack!"

Not watching where she was going, Betty's sneaker caught on a loose floor tile and she went flying.

"Don't worry, I've gotcha!" cried Jughead, reacting in record time. He felt like he was in a slo-mo movie scene as he dropped to his knees and slid across the floor, catching the poor blonde by the waist and securing his arms around her.

"Are you okay, Bets?" he asked, happy to be putting his strength to use as he helped the shaken Betty to her feet.

"I'm forever indebted to you, Juggie," she replied, putting a hand up to her beating heart. "And your mother, too. If she hadn't made you come, I would've taken a nasty spill just now. Y'know, maybe that extra muscle isn't so bad after all."

"Shucks, it was nothing, Betty. I'm just glad I caught you, I'd hate to have seen you get hurt."

"Ditto," she laughed. "Oh, you can let go of me now, Jughead. I'm totally fine."

Without meaning to, Jughead had still been holding Betty close to his body, her chest pressing into his. "O-oh, my bad, Bets..." he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as he pulled away. _I'm just making one mistake after the other today, aren't I..._

"No, that's alright, it's nice to know you're concerned. Hey, I've got a couple extra quarters, Jug. Did you want a gumball from the machine?"

You'd better believe he said yes. Sneaking another swig of water, Jughead watched Betty as she walked away. Watched the sway of her hips... took note of how tightly her striped blue tank top and red shorts clung to her frame... and especially how her butt filled out the latter as she bent over...

Mentally and literally slapping himself, Jughead became acutely aware of many, many butterflies in his stomach. He also found that an incredible amount of heat was emanating from his face, which was odd since he had been 100% cool naught but a minute earlier. Why was he suddenly admiring Betty like this? He almost didn't avert his gaze in time as she made an about-face, and Jughead quickly pretended to be insanely interested with his untied shoelace.

"I know you like cherry the most, but you'll have to settle with watermelon for now. May I...?" Upon returning, Betty's blue eyes sparkled as she held up the green ball of gum to Jughead's mouth. In spite of the feeling in his gut intensifying, he opened it in compliance and allowed his friend to push the gum inside. Jughead bit down hard and began to chew, not even taking the time to enjoy the flavor as he still wondered what was wrong with him. Was he coming down with a sickness or something, from the heat perhaps?

"Say, Bets, mind if I sit down for a second?" he requested, blinking a couple times. "I feel strange for some reason..."

"Well then, step into my office, Jughead, and let Dr. C examine you!"

Jughead smiled at the joke, and eased himself into the folding chair. Betty's hand was cool compared to his blazing forehead, and was a welcome sensation. Being in such close proximity to her face, though, Jughead also noticed just how cute her serious expression was.

"Oh gosh, Jug, you're burning up!" fretted Betty, now encompassing Jughead's face with both her hands. "Are you allergic to laundry detergent or something?"

Jughead shook his head "no", closing his eyes as Betty continued to poke and prod him. He had no clue why, but even without being able to visibly see her all he could think of was Betty's face. But, he had always considered his neighbor a pretty girl. There was no denying she was attractive, right? You'd have to be blind to disagree. So why obsess like this now? It's not like she was food!

"Well, here, have the rest of my water," instructed Betty, handing Jughead the bottle. "You've already downed most of it, without asking I might add, but I can always just buy another."

Grateful, Jughead hastily unscrewed the cap and guzzled the remaining liquid in no time flat, careful not to swallow his gum in the process. "Ahh... hey, I'm feeling better, Betty," he lied. "Really, thanks."

"I guess that was all you needed, eh? It's pretty hot out there, so try not to overdo it. Oh, by the way, did I tell you about my date with Archiekins tonight?"

Jughead gazed up warily to watch Betty's eyes, to look for any sign in her sweet face at all that showed she knew. No, she couldn't have known, because it was up to him to break the bad news to her. He felt another heat flash coming on as his gut got all tied up in knots. "Um. N-no, you haven't told me yet."

"Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost, Jug. You're not feeling sick again, are you?"

_If only you knew_, Jughead wanted to say. But he stayed silent as Betty went over to her finished wash. Shoveling various articles of clothing into her purple laundry bag, she continued. "Well Jug, no one else knows about it besides me, Archie, and now you, but today's our anniversary! Can you believe that? I sure can't!"

Oh no. No, no, no. This was all wrong! He had to come clean, now or never.

"Um, Betty about your date..."

"We won't be do anything too special, probably, but that's the beauty of it. I mean, I'm going to get dressed up, not too sure about Archie. I hope he'll give me a gift!"

"Say, Betty, I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" she asked, still smiling. "I actually need to get going soon. My parents always force me to save money and dry our things back home. But hey, it saves me prep time for tonight, so that's a plus."

The more she talked, the more guilt he amassed. Did Dipwad Andrews know that he was cancelling one of the most important things of the girl's life? For being Riverdale High's self-acclaimed ladies' man, he sure could be an insensitive clod when he tried! As hateful thoughts swirled around in his head, the twenty dollars that rested in Jughead's pocket began to feel like lethal acid eating away at his thigh.

"Bets, um... here's the thing." He couldn't believe he was about to say this. "Y-you see... Arch told me, uh, t-to tell you that..."

"You saw Archie? What did he say? C'mon, don't leave me hanging!" Betty looked so happy, so expectant of something good, and Jughead knew that he was about to ruin everything.

"He said, Betty... that the date is off." Silence. Terrible silence. "He's going to be with Veronica tonight, at some sort of snooty rich thing..."

Jughead didn't dare look up at Betty's face. Even as she dropped her laundry bag and all of her clothes spilled out, he forced himself to keep his eyes glued to the floor.

"H-huh? That's a joke, right, Jug? That's not very funny." Oh, wonderful. There was a definite wavering in her voice. Betty was on the verge of tears.

"I... Betty, I met him outside of here just a while back," explained Jughead, watching as a fat bead of sweat fell from his nose to the floor. "He was about to come in here and tell you himself, b-but he made me do it instead. F-for twenty dollars, actually, heh heh. Isn't that just t-the silliest thing you've ever- OOF!"

Jughead had never been punched in the stomach before, let alone so hard and so fast by a girl. His watermelon gum shot out like a cannon from his mouth onto his shoe, and he doubled over in pain as he looked up at Betty.

"T-that... that really hurt..." he wheezed, trying to regain his breath.

"Really?!" growled Betty, bending down and picking up her fallen clothes. "That's all you can say right now?! And did you even _try _to persuade him to come in person and tell me?! What kind of a friend are you, _asshole_?!"

Jughead had definitely turned to stone. He had never seen Betty so angry before. The scary part was that she probably hated him even more than she hated Archie right now! Why, oh why, had he agreed to Archie's bribery?!

"S-sorry...?" offered Jughead weakly as the tears streamed down Betty's face.

"Sorry," she choked out in-between sobs. "Won't cut it!"

"B-Betty, please don't be upset! I'll, uh... I'll talk to Archie about this! Y-yeah, and I'll let him know how wrong he was and-"

"Shut up!" shouted Betty, stamping on Jughead's foot. "I hate you! You, you...! Oh, smooth foresight, _Forsythe_! Real smooth! I can't believe you did that! Goodbye and good riddance!"

And with that, Betty rushed away, bawling her eyes out from a heart broken in two. Boy, he had really gone and done it this time. Jughead wanted to get angry, too, to explode at someone, preferably Archie, but he knew that it was really all his fault. By meddling, he had only made the blow worse for Betty. But the anniversary, for crying out loud! How was he supposed to have known?

"No, no excuses," he mumbled aloud, hanging his head glumly. _I caused this entire fiasco, so I should be the one to end it._

Now, Jughead wouldn't have minded if he had gotten someone like Ethel angry. She was a pain to him, and always had been. But seeing Betty in tatters like that brought an unbearable heaviness over his heart. She was practically like a second sister to him. Betty had cooked for him, played video games with him, bought food at the Chocklit Shoppe for him, studied with him... and now she hated him. Great.

_Ding!_

Jughead's brain barely registered that his wash was done as he continued to stew in his own misery. How could he possibly right this wrong? Call up and explain to Archie? Nah, the jerk would probably give some sort of half-baked answer and go with Ronnie anyway.

_Wait a minute_, thought Jughead, a lightbulb going off. _Call? That's it!_


End file.
